EXPECTATIONS
by emeraldXonyx
Summary: "I won't play Go cause brother's playing it." What could expectations do to a child? Being Sai's brother might be heaven but to be Honinbo Sai's brother, the renowned Go prodigy, it might be what you call, HELL.
1. Chapter 1

"I won't play Go cause brother's playing it

**I do not own Hikaru no Go**

**Summary**

"I won't play Go cause brother's playing it." What could expectations do to a child? What will happen if Hikaru experiences the burden of expectations? Being Sai's brother might be heaven but to be Honinbo Sai's brother, the renowned Go prodigy, it might be what you call, HELL.

- 000000000000000000000000000 -

_**EXPECTATIONS**_

_**by emeraldxonyx**_

**CHAPTER 1 **_**Dreams**_

"I WON'T PLAY GO ANYMORE!" A child of seven shouted on his empty room. The child had a unique hair color, black hair with bleach bangs – a combination that would make anyone looked twice if he or she ever passed on him. But today, if anyone saw him, the hair color would not be the first one to be noticed. The boy, who was usually judged a _punk_ due to his distinctive bangs, would not be seen as one. For at present, all that could be seen was the child's tears.

"Hikaru." A young man's voice called. "Hikaru." No response. "Hikaruuuuuuuuuuuu….." The young man's voice had turned into a child-like tone – more like a child wailing after not getting what he wanted. And today, the young man wanted to get this little brother of his up.

The little brother opened his eyes a little to take a peek. He saw his twenty-four year old brother urging him to wake up. Hikaru sighed and covered his eyes with his hand. _"Ah, it's only a dream."_ The boy thought to himself. He thought he would wake up to see a sixteen year old Sai asking what was wrong to a seven year old Hikaru. The dream was a true experience from the past. It was an event that up to now had influenced Hikaru's way of life. The boy sighed. So much for contemplation… Right now, what Hikaru needed was silence but he doubt he would get that easily.

"Nii-chan…I don't want to get up yet!" The boy said grumpily, glared at the young man waking him and then moved on his bed, facing his back to the source of that irritating voice.

"Hikaruuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuu…" The older brother ignored the glare and continued calling his brother's name and at the same time pulling his brother to a sit. "Hikaru-chan, wakie…wakie…" The young man called childishly. Sai knew that this action would make Hikaru irritated enough to wake up. "Hikaru-chan?" Sai nagged more and then there was silence. The older brother waited for Hikaru's outburst, when after a minute and the anticipated reaction was not seen, Sai tried his plan once more. "Hika…" But he did not finished his sentence cause suddenly a pillow was thrown to his _handsome _face.

_Blog_. Sai fell out the bed; the pillow, which was the cause of his 'demise', lay scattered on the floor.

"Owww. Hikaru, you're so mean!" Sai glared at his brother who was currently sitting up in his bed and gazing at the 'disaster' – his so-called _brother._

Hikaru took no notice of the glare, yawned and then stretched his body – trying to wake himself up and for another reason – that is to buy time for himself. He only had a few seconds of silence left, for after his brother recovered from what he secretly calls – "_the glaring period_", his elder brother would definitely give him his punishment. And that was…

"HIKARU!!" Sai called, his voice rising to more than the normal hearing decibels.

"_Speaking of hell…"_ Hikaru thought as he was drag by Sai into a _big hug_ where his ear would definitely experience noise pollution. _"I hoped my hearing would still be normal after this."_ The boy wished.

"Hikaru, you should not treat me like that. I'm older than you." Sai reprimanded, his voice taking a serious tone though Hikaru knew it was an act. He was after all Sai's favorite brother (it would be a surprise if he's not the _favorite sibling_, after all they had no other brothers or sisters).

Hikaru nodded his head in understanding. Sai's way, way older than him. He's twenty-four and Hikaru's only fifteen - a difference of nine years. _"Yeh, definitely he's older_."Hikaru thought sarcastically. But if maturity would be the basis, Hikaru thinks he's more mature than his brother. This only holds true in their relationship as brothers, outside the area, Sai's the mature one. Hikaru, himself, could not really understand why Sai could act child-like only to him. In front of their parents and other people, in front of the Go world, they only knew the serious Sai.

"Hikaru? Hikaru?" Sai called. "HI-KA-RU?" This time Sai cried his brother's name in a louder voice.

"Oww." Hikaru covered his ears. "What was that for?" He asked.

"Ah. Hehe. Thought you were daydreaming or something. I called you thrice." Sai chuckled while explaining.

Hikaru, who successfully released himself for Sai, made his way to breakfast. His older brother followed him. Sai was unusually quiet on their way down and Hikaru did not like this. "_Talk about irony."_ Hikaru muttered to himself. Just awhile ago he's hoping for a quiet Sai but when he got one, he did not like it in the least.

"Nii-chan, is there something wrong?" Hikaru decided to ask.

Sai looked at Hikaru and sighed. He knew that his answer would make Hikaru frown or angry (at most) but he still had to try.

"Eh…I was wondering if…." A long silence followed.

"Karu-chan…"

Hikaru frowned. He knew where this would lead. "No. I don't want to go."

"But Hikaru…Please just once, come with me in a Go tournament. You'll have fun in it. Teenagers like you are going to play." Sai told his brother excitedly.

"I don't want _them_ to see me." Hikaru rebutted calmly. Since childhood, he had tried to part himself from Go or should he say, from the Go world itself. But unfortunately for him, he's love for Go did not make him that successful. And what happened was he could only not make others know that he plays Go or that he's interested in it. Why? The reason was clear to him, he did not like the feeling of pressure, the burden of expectations of being the Go prodigy's brother. He did not want to be compared. Maybe this feeling was something wrong. It's as if he was running away but the pressure had traumatized him when he was only a child. And a child himself, during that time, he did not know what to do but rely on his defense mechanisms to protect his self. And his mind and body told him to run away from it. Hikaru was snapped out of his trance at Sai's voice.

"There will be a large crowd. No one will notice you." Sai gave his rationalization, he knew Hikaru's fear but he's doing this to help his brother get out of the shell he had placed himself. "Please."

Hikaru was silent. He was considering Sai's suggestion. It's true that with the crowd, no one will take notice of him. He could also watch the games. It had been a long time since he came to a Go tournament. Though, he had swore to distance away from Go, he could not do so. Hikaru looked at his brother's begging face. Hikaru smiled at his _aniki_.

"Okay. I'll go with you…" Sai smiled with glee. "…but I'll part from you after we arrived, everyone will definitely notice me if I entered with you." Hikaru bargained.

Sai nodded his head twice still smiling. _"This is definitely a good start."_ He thought.

- 00000000000000000000000000000 -

**Author's Notes:**

What do you think? It just came up. It is not that good. I know. I'm still trying to understand the story itself. Weird, eh?

Don't you think Hikaru seems weak in this story? Is the story no good? Wahhh…I think it's not a good idea to post it…But I'll take my chance…so please tell me whatever you think – good or bad, I can accept.

I hope you'll review.

Thanks for giving your time to read this chapter.


	2. Chapter 2

Expectations

_**Expectations**_

_**By emeraldXonyx**_

**CHAPTER II – **_**Coming Closer**_

Honinbo Sai stepped out of his car, gathering at that instant the attention of the crowd, who are on their way to the event hall. The young Go title-holder wore a frown on his face, giving an impression of irritation to who know who. The crowd parted to gave way to the Go prodigy, greeting him but at the same time being wary.

"_Hikaru!!"_ Sai fumed silently. He got his brother to accept his proposition to go to the tournament and the success made him happy. He had been imagining a happy trip towards the event site, a chat with his brother and if Lady Luck would favor him today, he might see a change on Hikaru's view on playing Go himself. But his _idiotic brother_, as he called him right now, made all his imaginative notions burst into nothingness. This morning, as he was just about to wake up his brother to prepare, he found Hikaru's room empty and the target nowhere to be found. When he asked his mother about it, she told him that Hikaru left a message that he would just go there on his own and had left early for some important matter Sai did not bother to learn.

"Grrrr…" Sai was trying to calm himself and prevent himself from showing his very pissed self to the crowd. But inside, he was clutching his long wisteria-colored hair, pulling it thinking that it was his little brother's hair. Sai could not contain himself anywhere, so ignoring the crowd, he made an outburst.

"Wahhh….I'm really pissed!" Sai said to no one in particular. The people around him gaped at his outburst and the Honinbo caught himself, and smiled. "Gomenasai….I just thought of a little bug who had pissed me this morning." Sai explained smiling while at the same time, giving off a dark aura. The people accepted the apology, backing off a little from the prodigy.

"_Prodigies sure are weird."_ This was what the people who had witness the act thought.

Sai tried to calm himself. It would not do him any good to fell too irritated with his brother moreover when he was one of the judges in the match (even if it's only on the final round). The young Go prodigy inhaled deeply and then exhaled forcefully as if trying to push out all of his annoyance. After that ritual, Sai smiled and then started his way towards the other professionals. His annoyance to his brother rarely lasted long so it was not a surprised that a few deep breaths would release all his pent up emotions. As the Honinbo made his way to a patch of Go pros, he silently wished that Hikaru would do what he had promised. _"I really hope that Hikaru will really go to this event."_ Sai wished.

Meanwhile, Hikaru stepped out of a newly opened internet café. He had been walking around the area since morning for he knew that if his brother found him in his room, he would be forcefully dragged out of his bed and pushed or pulled towards the event site. And it so happened that while loitering around, he found this new shop. The café would not have taken his notice if not for the huge banner proclaiming an initial testing of a new online game. Since Hikaru, like any teenagers, played online games as well, he decided to try out only to find that the game being advertised was NetGo.

"_Go_, sure follows me around…" He muttered to himself and then sighed. But though he had made this statement, he still could not stop himself from leaving the shop; instead he tried out the online game. Hikaru spent two hours on the shop playing NetGo. He decided to make an account for himself rationalizing that no one would ever knew that he played Go since it's on the net. But to further assure his _invisibility_, he decided to just use "Shin", a syllable from his surname. Hikaru yawned and stretched his arms up as he made his way out of the internet shop. He looked at his watch and saw that it was time to go visit the tournament his Aniki told him about.

--o0o0o0o--

The event hall was packed with a number of people, most of them on their teens. The crowd made it easier for a young man with bleach-banged hair to make his way towards the gaming area without anyone, especially a certain Go professional, noticing his progress. Hikaru entered the gaming area, which was a far cry from the situation outside the arena. The place was overflowing with seriousness and a forceful aura. Though there was no complete silence, the throng of spectators on the side emitted the same kind of passion that the boy felt from the participants themselves. Hikaru looked around the area, noticing some known Go professionals here and there. But his eyes stopped at the long haired man with lavender eyes, which was his own brother. Sai, as he had noticed, was busy being flocked upon by _inseis_ or is it young Go professionals? But as to which of the two they were, Hikaru didn't know. He just assumed after all. Sai was always noticed by many, where it be from the Go world or from the normal society. Hikaru had known since he was a child that his brother was different. Aside from being a prodigy of one of the oldest game in the country, his other ventures were also successful (may it be studies or business itself). Sai always became one of the top. As for Hikaru, he did not know if he'll do the same as his brother, after all, for too many years he had tried to engage himself with activities that were opposite to that of his brother. He busied himself with sports while Sai progressed on his studies, he stayed away from playing Go for Sai played the game. If his actions were of envy or jealousy at Sai's ability – this too he wasn't aware of. All he knew was that he did not want to be compared. Maybe the reason really was he did not want to know how big the difference was between him and Sai.

"_Ugh. Stop thinking!"_ Hikaru told himself, his head aching from too much thinking. Every time he tried to understand the reasons for his actions, he always ended up with a headache and in the end, he had no answers. Why was he trying so hard to be different from Sai? Hikaru sighed. "Too much thinking do me no good." He muttered to himself in conclusion. Hikaru clutched his head and started banging it with his fist when he heard a snicker beside him.

"Heh…" A boy with dark brown hair tried to hold in his laughter. Hikaru glared at the boy, his eyes asking what was funny. The boy looked at him and smiled apologetically. He reached out a hand and introduced himself.

"Eh. Sorry for that. 'name is Waya." He said while extending his hand for a shake. Hikaru raised an eyebrow.

"Hehe. I heard you mutter about headache and…thinking? Sorry again for laughing. It just caught me..you..um you know.." Waya stuttered. Hikaru decided to take the apology and accepted the hand offered.

"Hikaru." He introduced.

"Are you a participant?" Waya asked the other child. Hikaru shook his head in answer. "You?" Hikaru asked.

"Nah. This is a game for amateurs and we're not permitted to participate in tournaments like this."

"Are you a professional?" The boy with bleach bangs inquired.

"Not yet. But I will be. I'm an insei." Waya answered.

"An insei?" Hikaru repeated, surprise evident in his voice. He had been in low for quite some time but it seemed that the more that he hid from the Go world, the more that he was discovered, like today, for example.

"You do not believe me?" Waya asked with a hint of annoyance.

"Huh?" Hikaru was focused on his thoughts that he had not processed what Waya said.

"You do not believe that I'm a Go player and an insei for that. Do you?" He repeated, this time with anger.

"Oh, no. that's not it." Hikaru waved his hands in a motion showing he did not mean it that way. "I was just surprised." He continued. "I wasn't expecting you to be an _insei_, you do not look like one. Neh?" Hikaru further explained, staring at Waya's face to know if the other boy had taken the clarification.

Waya smiled and forgot his early emotions. "Yah. Right. There are so many people especially those who aren't from the Go world that were surprised like you." He told Hikaru. "It's as if they saw Go as only for old people." Waya continued, muttering to himself. Hikaru looked at the mumbling boy inquiringly. Waya caught himself from his rumblings and started a conversation with his new found acquaintance.

"You play Go, don't you?" Waya asked for confirmation. Hikaru acted surprised. He didn't know what to tell the other boy, would he lie or would he tell him the truth? Half a minute had passed before Hikaru answered, deciding to tell the truth. It would be bad to start a friendship with a lie and Hiakru had good instincts to know that he and Waya would be friends.

"Yup. I do but I'm not strong." The boy told him. Hikaru felt someone's scrunity and his eyes traveled passed Waya and he caught his brother staring at him. _"Oh no. I got caught."_ Hikaru thought and bowed his head in a failed attempt to hide.

"But we all started from being weak, so there's nothing to be ashamed of." Waya told Hikaru taking the other boy's actions as embarrassment. Hikaru nodded his head meekly peeking here and there to see if his brother had decided to join him and bust his cover. Sai moved towards Hikaru. He was happy…extremely happy. Hikaru had come to the event as he promised. He was about to go where Hikaru was when he remembered that his brother did not want others to know about their relationship and a hug will definitely brought whispers and worst, might led to Hikaru's discovery. But he really wanted to go to Hikaru. _"Wahhh..what will I do?"_ Sai cried inwardly. Sai thought and thought and in the end he decided to approach Hikaru.

"_Oh no! Don't come here."_ Hikaru thought and glared at his brother with a hidden message telling him not to come. But it's as if Sai's blind, his approach did not even waver. Waya noticed that Hikaru was looking at his back so he turned and what he saw left him gaping.

"A..ah..um..Honinbo Sai!" Waya stuttered then gave an exaggerated bow. During that time, Hikaru gave his brother an intense glare. Sai just smiled.

"Hello. Are you two inseis?" Sai asked. Hikaru got a bewildered look. The other boy looked up from his bow and answered.

"No. Yes. No. Ahh…" Waya take a deep breath and continued. "I mean, I am an _insei_ sir but my friend here is not. He's a spectator."

"Ah. Is that so?" Sai said and then secretly smiled at his younger brother. "Waya, why don't you tour your friend around? Maybe he'll be motivated and play Go himself." Sai told the boy who looked shocked after being called by his name by the great Sai. He looked at the Honinbo questioningly and Sai seeing this, pointed at a name tag that Waya wore. "It says Waya, isn't it?" The boy blushed in embarrassment and nodded his head. After another smile, Sai went back to his place with the older professionals. Waya heaved a sigh.

"I was shocked." He muttered more to himself than to Hikaru. Waya started to walk towards an ongoing match. It was the semi-finals.

"Here. Why don't we watch this match?" Waya asked. Hikaru nodded his head and accepted the proposal. The bleach-banged boy watched silently, nodding a few times for the occasional explanations made by Waya who thought that his new found friend did not understand the intricacies of the game. After a few moves, a gasp was heard from the crowd. Waya stopped his explanation and stared at the board. Black's latest move had turned the game into his favor. White lost a lot from the last exchanged. The crowd knew that the position white would take to respond on his loss would be the basis for the conclusion of who'll be the winner. Waya sighed and pulled Hikaru from the game.

"Hey, let's get a drink first before we watch the final match." Waya told Hikaru.

"But, the match had not yet ended. Why did you pull me out?" Hiakru asked adamantly. He wanted to know if white would prevail on the game. But now, he had lost his chance. It would be hard to push through the crowd gathered around the players' table and if he managed to do so, he might not be able to witness the game before it ended.

"We don't need to watch it anymore. It's a sure win for black." Waya told his friend confidently. "There's no way white would win."

"_No way? But there is. If only white could see it. He could change the flow of the game to his side."_ Hikaru thought. "But…" Hikaru was about to tell Waya about the move that would give white the win when Waya startled him with a shout.

"OI…OI..ISUMI!!" Waya called out much to the disgust of the organizers. "Shhhh….Be quiet!" Hikaru reprimanded after seeing the glares given to them.

"Eh..hehe.." Waya scratched his head in embarrassment and then pulled Hikaru towards the young man, Waya called as Isumi.

"Isumi!"

Isumi looked at the source of voice. "Hey, Waya. I've been looking for you. The special matches would start after 20 minutes." Isumi told him.

"What? Oh yeah. I almost forgot." Waya noticed that Isumi was looking at Hikaru. "By the way, Hikaru this is Isumi. Isumi this is Hikaru, he's my new friend."

"Hello." Both Hikaru and Isumi greeted and then they shook hands.

"Ei, Hikaru..wh don't you come with us and watch Waya play." Isumi offered.

"Waya, you're playing? I thought you told me you're not a contestant?" Hikaru asked.

"It's a special match. More like a match to advertise Go to young people and the insei class as well." Waya explained. "It's a match between inseis or the lower dans. It would be good to watch, so you must come."

After awhile, Hikaru agreed to come. He followed the two inseis on the other part of the event hall where most pro players and inseis stayed. Hikaru shuddered. _"I think it wasn't good to agree to this. I shouldn't have followed them."_ He concluded to himself. But then, Hikaru decided that it was worth it all if he could watch a good game.

Since there are still a few minutes before the special matches start, Hikaru told Waya that he would just get a drink. Waya asked Hikaru to get him one also but Hikaru refused telling the boy to get one himself.

"You shouldn't command me. We've only met after all." Hikaru rationalized while snickering. Isumi agreed. Waya pouted. "But…." But his "but" had not been finished for Hikaru had left towards the vending machine.

Hikaru was walking towards the vending machine, when he saw a teenager bullying another player. It seemed that player lost to the boy and the young man who had won had taken it a _responsibility_ to inform the other of his "weakness" as the bully phrased it.

"Haha. You really are weak. You could not even win a game." The bully told the silent boy. "You should have quit playing Go." He continued. By this time, Hikaru decided to intervene. He walked towards the two boys and realized that they were the players of the last game he and Waya watch. And by looking at the situation, it seemed that the white player had not seen what he had to turn the tables around.

"You are no match for me!" The bully, who played black, continued. The other boy just stood there silent, as if he was willing himself not to cry. Seeing this, Hikaru could not stop anger. The boy had won and yet he's bullying the other boy. The boy's remarks surely had rubbed salt to an open wound. Though the boy who played white had gladly accepted his defeat, Hikaru knew that there was still pain. And right now, with the bullying, the pain of defeat would have reached a threshold that was unbearable.

"Is that true? I think he matched you perfectly." Hikaru told the surprised boy. "The last match was the evidence itself."

"Huh? What the hell are you saying? Have you not watched? I'm the one who won if you do not know." The boy told Hikaru arrogantly.

Hikaru did not reply, instead he went to the nearest goban and replayed the game. He stopped on the point where he had saw the move that would have give white the win.

"Here." Hikaru looked at the boy's eyes and then slammed a white stone on the goban. The two boys looked at the stone's position and both were surprised to see the conclusion if white continued from that.

"I…I could have won." The other boy mumbled in surprise. The two boys looked at Hikaru as if he was an abnormal entity who appeared before them.

"Who are you?!" The bully asked.

"I'm nobody." Hikaru replied. The bully looked at the goban again and then smiled. "That was just a fluke!" He stated. "I still could have won even if white places that stone."

"Really?" Hikaru inquired. "I don't think so."

By now, the bully was seething with anger. His pride was stepped upon and he wouldn't leave without getting his pride back and crashing this boy in front of him. "So, why don't we play? Let's see if you are a match for me. I have won a number of tournaments if you do not know." The bully made his way towards a table and sat.

"I don't want to play." Hikaru stated calmly.

"Huh? Are you afraid of your defeat? Or maybe you really don't have the ability and you're just talk. I wouldn't be surprised…."

"Shut up!" Hikaru said in a low voice filled with anger. "If you want to play, then let's play. Just don't cry when you have faced your defeat."

The two boys shuddered. The boy in front of them who looked like a punk seemed to emit a suffocating aura. The bully inhaled deeply. It wouldn't do him good to feel this pressure. _"That boy doesn't know what he's talking about. I, who had won too many tournaments, would not be defeated by someone like him."_ The teenager thought while glaring at Hikaru.

"Nigiri." Hikaru got white.

The bully smiled. It would be his win. _Or so he thought._

--0o0o0o0o0--

**Author's Notes:**

Sorry for the late update. My classes have started so I don't have time but promise I will not give up and write the next chapter/s.

Please tell me what you think. I look forward to your reviews.

Thanks for reading this chapter.


	3. Chapter 3

**EXPECTATIONS**

I do not own Hikaru no Go. Please believe meeeeee…

Chapter 3: A Glimpse on Talent

_By: emeraldxonyx_

"Nigiri"

-ooo-

Klak! The sound of the stone on the goban reverberated throughout the hall. If the sudden match up between the unknown rookie and an amateur Go competition champion had caused whispers upon the start of the game, the last stone set by Hikaru had brought the crowd to complete silence.

"_How? How did this happen?" _ Hikaru's opponent thought in panic. It was a close match before Hikaru's turn. He even has the advantage. "_How did this stone turned the game?_ _What happened?_" The player's eyes looked up from the goban to his adversary. What he saw brought his panic to new heights. Hikaru's smoldering gaze seemed to swallow him up. The aura was too much making him perspire, making him tremble not because of anticipation but because of fear… fear at this child before him. He shook his head at the thought. "_That is just ridiculous. He's just an amateur. Calm yourself, Hideki." _He self-talked. Hideki breathe slowly. "_It's still early. I could still turn the game. This is just a fluke…yeah, a fluke. Why didn't I think of that?" _Smiling at this new idea, Hideki picked up another stone and continued the game.

The impromptu match had now caught the eyes of the Go professionals and the aspiring insei. Several of them had even gone to the site where it is held, watching and wondering how a no-name player is able to make such strong and unique moves. Ogata-Judan and Honinbo Sai were walking when they heard about the game.

"Hey! Isumi! Wait for me!" The two well-known professionals step outside of the running insei's path to avoid a collision. And it seemed that the boy had no intention of looking back and acknowledging them. Sai would have ignored the event if not for the news that reached his ears.

Isumi, the other insei whom the boy had been calling, stopped for a moment and looked back to his companion. "Hurry up Fuku! Waya called me. He says an interesting match is happening. His new friend…" And the details had become garbled when Isumi started running again. With a burst of speed, the said boy, Fuku, rushed up to his friend.

"_An interesting match? Waya?"_ Sai repeated to himself. _Waya?Ah._ He remembered. _"Waya-san was with Hikaru. Is Hikaru playing?"_ A shocking thought paved the way to Sai's mind. _"I need to know what's happening."_ He thought with a determined voice. Without telling anything to his forgotten co-player, Ogata, Sai walked up towards the scene.

Ogata shook his head. He should have been used to it. Shindou Sai had been an enigma even before he became the Honinbo. Upon the goban, the young man had made his opponents kneel down to him but outside the games, he's just a very traditional, friendly-to-the-point-of-annoying man. The man sighed and looked at the man who was paving his way through the crowd surrounding this mysterious game. He should have known that after hearing something interesting which concerns Go, Shindou will make it a point to go there, even forgetting that he was just talking with someone like him. With one last sigh, Ogata-Judan followed the said Honinbo to watch the said match. _Shindou and his weird acts. _

Hikaru's mind was focused on the game. He doesn't heard anything aside from the sounds that came after he and his opponent set down the stones. His mind knows not of the consequences that this game might have. He forgot even his promise, not to play Go again. Everything he sees is just the game. Nothing exists aside from the universe that he's creating at the goban. After he set the stone that had turned the game, he knew that it was the end. If his opponent will only see, he might have resigned a few turns ago. But the arrogant player has not seen the end of the game and continued to persevere, belittling his skills. Hikaru smiled. If this is what his opponent wants, then he'll give it to him. With his mind focused on the game, Hikaru continued setting his stones, increasing the score difference for every turn. He did not notice the azure eyes of his brother, watching him ,anticipating his moves, reveling at the feeling that his younger brother is playing his beloved game. Hikaru and the others failed to see when Sai's eyes became clouded and a single tear fell as Sai gave Hikaru a serene smile. "_Let's play again, otouto."_

Waya is shocked. He watched as the game progressed. His new friend, the boy who he thought knows nothing about the game with his punk looks and style, showed talent and strength at playing Go. When he heard that Hikaru challenged the other player, he tried to stop him, thinking that his friend would not be able to do anything but he had been late nad the match had started. But as the game progresses, Hikaru was able to fight hand-by-hand and now as the game nears it end, Hikaru maintained his advantage, increasing the difference by scores. Looking back at the game, something seemed to nag Waya. Hikaru's playstyle seemed very familiar but for some reason, he couldn't remember. As the last stone hits the goban, Waya turned to Hikaru's opponent and sighed. It was a complete defeat. He should have resigned a few hands earlier because now, having an amateur defeat you by more than 40-moku would be very devastating.

Hikaru bowed his head towards his opponent. Hideki is still silent, his head still bowed.

"Thank you for the game." Hikaru told him. Hikaru was about to clean up the game, when a man in white suit approached him.

"That was a very good game. Are you insei?" The man asked him. At that question, Hikaru frozed. He had been angered, became focused on the game that he forgot that he should be lying low…he should NOT be playing Go. Hikaru stood up abruptly, his head bent down trying to hide his face.

"Ah. I'm sorry but I'm not insei. I'll be going now." Hikaru passed by the man, hurrying to go outside, away from the people who had watched the match. As he pushed his way through the crowd, he collided with a very familiar person. The said man helped him up.

"Hikaru, that was a great game." The man whispered to him. Hikaru was shocked. He looked up abruptly to see the face of the single man that he doesn't want to see right now. He knew beforehand what he will see but knowing it is not enough to prevent surprised from passing through his features. In a soft voice, Hikaru acknowledged the man.

"Nii-san." And with that, Hikaru run away from the event.

-ooo-

And that's it! This chapter is more of a collection of POV's of different characters.

So what do you think? I haven't checked it that much so there might have been grammar lapses here and there. Sorry for that. And I also apologized for updating this story so late. I hope you're not angry at me. Please review. Thanks

Next Chapter: And so they met

_Hello. Are you alright? Someone asked him. Hikaru looked up and saw a teenager like himself with shoulder-length hair. _

"_Ah…yes. I'm sorry" He stammered. The other boy helped him up to his feet. Hikaru's dusting his pants when he saw a hand offered in a handshake._

"_By the way, I'm Touya Akira." _


End file.
